Charting a path to success starts early in life—just ask Allee, a Chattanooga State Community College alumna who recently scored a perfect 180 on her Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). 

A driven student, Allee came to ChattState as a high school sophomore in search of a more rigorous learning environment, which she found alongside peers her own age at Collegiate High. 

For the first time, Allee felt challenged academically, which she said taught her study habits and how to keep up with college-level work, things that continue to benefit her today. 

"By the time I got to George Washington University, I was a junior, but I was the same age as the freshmen,” she said. “Other people my age were in college for the first time and struggling to figure out class structures and relationships with their professors, but I already knew how to do all of that because of my time at ChattState. I definitely hit the ground running." 

Not only did she succeed while earning her bachelor’s degree, but Allee also used her knowledge and foundational learning skills to prepare for the next step in her journey: law school. 

"Studying outside of class doesn't mean that you're bad at the material. It doesn't mean that you're not as smart as other students,” she said. “It just means that you're putting in the work to get the outcome that you want to see. I think that that was really rewarding for me when preparing to take the LSAT.” 

Moreover, being an honors student taught Allee new ways to think and learn. ChattState Honors Program classes offer a global perspective and awareness through a deeper and more complex college experience. 

“I did participate in the ChattState Honors program when I was at the College,” she said. “I loved those classes because they were very discussion-based and a bit more challenging. That was fun for me.” 

No stranger to hard work, Allee is considering attending a dual-enrollment graduate program at Duke University that would allow her to earn a Juris Doctor and a Master of Laws (LLM) in international studies in just three years: “I like to move things at a quicker pace,” she said. 

When it comes to succeeding, where you started is just as important as where you ended up. For Allee, she’s glad she started here. 

"Community colleges are the heart of a city, and they are an amazing place for equity and togetherness and looking past our differences,” she said. ‘There's a lot of accessibility at community college that brings people together no matter what their background is.”